Anyway there were about 10 banks in the town's square and I looked inside one that had exchange rates of 79 (that's £79 buys 100 euro's) which worked out at 125 euro's to the pound. Usually exchanges in Greece take 2%, so that would still be much better than the Thos Cook rate. This year I did not put all my eggs in one basket, I had a loaded card, sterling and euro's to start with.

So at one point I was going to exchange sterling.

However, today wasn't that day and we headed for one of the six restaurants for a lunchtime meal. This was an Island that was much more Greek than we had ever been to before and trying to find a resto that suited us around the town seemed difficult. However, it got much easier as we got into the swing of things.

A couple of the restaurants seemed to be closed at lunchtime and we sat down at one with yellow chairs. The lady came to us and we asked if they did food, "Only toast", she said. Mrs Db suggested we just have a beer and go back to the blue chair resto at our beach. Anyway two draught beers came up with a bowl of crisps and salted biscuits, it seems they don't serve a beer here without giving the customer some snack.



The view was great, the crisps etc were nice but we didn't want too many of them, as we were going to have a lunch. The bill came 8 euro's waaaaaay, 4 euro's for a 1/2 litre beer, alarm bells at that. So it's see the menu first from now on. Anyway we had hit the dearest place in town for a beer.

So it was the 10 minute walk back to the blue chair place, where their beers were 3 euro's, we ordered a Greek salad and some stuff tomatoes that Mrs Db fancied, bill about 16 euros with the beers





then watching the world go by, which would eventually turn out to be our favourite place for lunch



Late afternoon now, we decided to walk back to the apartment, Mrs Db read her kindle on the balcony and I had a siesta.

We would try the six resto again tonight

we found a resto called Terrains which had screens down



I had a chicken Souvikai



Mrs Db had a burger stuffed with cheese which looked delicious





a bit blowy for us to sit out on the sea edge but some tried it

We sat and watch the sunset over a litre of wine, total bill 21.50 euros with bread




more to come

Yes - it takes us a few days to suss out the restauraunts where everyone will get something they are happy with.

I remember going to a place in Limeni (down the coast from Stoupa). We found an idylic spot . . a wonderful cove, with powdery sand at the bottom . . views to die for and seaturtles to accompany your swim. There were 2 restaurants there, but only one opened in the daytime . . .

A very small menu only about 7/8 things on it, so we struggled . . mostly fish . . even when the boys' 'chips' came, they were fried sliced potatoes (round)

a dinner coming up later the boys would like, I did (went twice) , Mrs Db said they were bad for me

The next day was blue sky again but still this breeze but time to try those sunbeds on the beach



It wasn't too bad, very hot but those odd gusts of wind blew sand up and here you can see it ruffling the sea



we had lunch and about 4:00pm we decided we had had enough and it was back to the apartment for a cup of tea

In the evening we tried the next resto along and football was on so we watched the first half

I had what Mrs Db had the night before except my cheese was on the outside



Whilst Mrs Db had what I had but on one long screwer washed down by the house wine



The sunset over Mount Athos, also known as the Holy Island, apparently there are 20 monasteries on the Island with 1200 monks and their staff. No woman have ever been allowed on the Island and it is a heritage site and at the end of a peninsular from Greece. Originally the home of the Gods



Then is was get the bill and get back in fifteen minutes and watch the second half in bed on the apartment TV. I know how to treat a lady

However, they had a down pour in Poland which seem to be coming out of our TV with such a crap picture



oh well can't watch that, time for a kip

I'm surprised that the beaches look so empty . . . did the locals feel that it was a 'poor' season?

It was mainly the weather the first week Boss, the second week we found that you could get a front row bed no problem and after 3pm the youngsters came to the beach and on the best days our end got fairly full after 3 pm. They were mainly local guys and girls finishing work / school ? restaurants in the evening were mainly empty. Tourist numbers were down I was told, perhaps the Greeks don't now have the money.

There was a concert one night, with a choir singing and we sat in a practically empty resto listening to them. The harbour square was crowded but nobody seemed to be eating, Greeks are generally late eater but I think there were concerns.

Cracking sunset pic del

Anyway on the Sunday and election day for Greece, cars with loud speakers were about but wasn't sure whether it was the candidates, gypsies repairing chairs or farmers selling melons but we decided to have a walk and tried to have a look at the AI camp at the far end



The nearer we got to the complex I could just see a few pokey chalets that I wasn't even sure if they were staff accommodation, so I didn't take pictures, but later found out that the staff are accommodated elsewhere.

I understand that one of the guests in our apartments had a chat to one of the guests that was staying there. Apparently they have built wind screens down on the beach (I noted that one) and a fantastic bar but those on half board were paying 4.5 euro's for a beer, I know Scandinavians pay a lot for beer but that's a rip off



so it was a turnaround and head back, you can see the sea is rough





So we thought that we would try the Manos resto, at the far end of the beach for lunch, unfortunately they only did mezza, not to my liking, so we had a beer and they threw in crisps, that 0.5 litre was 3.5 euro's



Comfy chairs behind if you wanted one



then we walked back via the beach





had lunch at the blue chairs and then fed 3 donkey's that had been put in a field near us





In the evening we tried the third restaurant Romeo's and thought it was the best one so far, a euro more for a litre of wine at 8 euros and perhaps a euro on the food







I had the chicken in cay sauce with apples



Mrs DB tried chicken in mushroom sauce



and another sunset over a glass of wine



and it was election night and the castle lights came on for the first time



Next the great bank robbery

Fab pics . . . beautiful sea views . . . so rugged and natural . . . love it!

As for that sunset . . . !

Anyway, not going to pain you with a day by day blow of the holiday so after this day I will jump much further into the holiday.

So Monday morning the wind was blowing, I'm told it was force 11 (64 miles an hour). Umbrellas on the beach were down. Ferries had been stopped and all shipping had to remain in the harbour



However, I had more important things to do like £300 to change into euro's, Anette had warned me to check out several banks, as they had different commision rates, so Mrs Db and I went into town.

There are no shops or agents in Limnos doing exchange, it is all done by the banks



I popped into the first one that had the rate listed and unfortunately Europe must have been happy with the election result as the pound had weakened against the euro to 81 (121 odd). So I asked if they did exchange and surprisingly told NO, National Bank. Next, I queued in the Euro bank and at my turn, it was NO, the National Bank.



Now, I'm told the crime rate in Limnos is virtually zilch but as we stepped up to the doorway of the National Bank, we had to press a blue button, on pressing it another guy stepped out and explained go inside this sort of tardis and wait for the outer door to close, then press the next button on the inner door, once doing that a speaker must have said come in.

So in the middle of the bank now it had seating like cinema with business desks around the bank. At the front was a queue to the till which had flashing lights. We joined the queue and when it got to our turn and a till light flashed, Mrs Db dropped her sunglasses on the floor and broke them but we proceeded at the same time with another woman who jumped out of a chair and explained we needed to obtain a waiting ticket (just like Tesco deli counter).

So finally, with ticket and our number flashing and passport in hand, we asked for exchange at the till and we had met the first non speaking exchange tiller. He eventually pointed to one of two men down the side of the bank obviously setting up a mortgage for the next shipping line magnet.

Eventually, an English voice, "Can I help". "Ah", I said, "I would like to exchange some sterling for euros", "Australian dollars" was his reply, "No sterling", he then went on to his computer and said,"todays rate is 81 or 121 something". "How much commission", I asked. "6 euro's" he said, "If you have travellers cheques". "No", I said "sterling", "In that case, no commission".

Delighted with that, I asked if I can change the £300, "follow me", he said and he went over to the first till lady and explained to her, "He turned to me and said "you will be next" and the customer at the till said, "I didn't need another queue ticket".

I said to Mrs Db, "that will be roughly 363 euros".


So now it was my turn, various stuff was gleamed from my passport and printed on to a form to which I had to sign for, then 355 euros was counted out. "363", I said, It turned out she didn't speak any English either. "363", I repeated and the same bloke was called over, who read the form. The man in the bank said,"I must apologise my mistake, there is a 10 euro deduction".

I accepted his apology, but I did ended up with 118.5 to the pound.

I then had to pay another 10 euro's for a new pair of sunglasses for Mrs Db. Well she is a classy lady, not accepting cheap stuff from me.

We headed to the harbour and I was thinking of climbing the castle, however we met another couple from the apartment and they said they had been round to the church at the far end of town and it was windy

resto's blinds and roofing had been taken down, due to wind



so we decided to do the walk to the church ourselves



Beyond the marina, there was the town's third beach



There was only one bar sevicing it which had chairbeds and it sold drinks and cocktails



Now coming round the bigger outer harbour



the third beach now in the distance







Coming round th the headland on the other side of the harbour



we finally reached the church, it was blowing really hard and Mrs Db wouldn't come up



I risked it but when I tried to slide round the side of the church to get more pictures, I can only describe it, like being at Blackpool Tower on a windy October day (scary)



so we headed back to the little harbour passing Limnos winery



we found a sort of sheltered resto in the corner of the marina for lunch



beer was only 2.30 euro's here



and had stuff peppers with cheese of all things, quite nice



the husband of the lady who had served us held the umbrella up for us whilst we ate

more to come

. . . it was blowing really hard and Mr Db wouldn't come up

Is Mrs DB writing this review . .

sorry Boss the wind blew the 's' off

We know who wears the trousers in your house . .

Anyway the wind continued and we stayed within the six restaurants behind windshields for the evening meals, attending Romeo's again

I had the Indian Chicken



and Mrs Db had a nice looking sweet and sour chicken dish



One had to move to the side of Romero's to get the sunset but worth getting up to snap it



Tuesday was much the same and that coach trip that we didn't go on, to see the lady on a potter's wheel, was looking even more of an attraction missed at this time. The report was the winds would last until Wednesday but no time was given and those outer chairs by the sea for a meal remained unused





However the ferry got in Tuesday night from Athens (10 hour trip ) petrol comes in via the ferry and some garages were running out.

Wednesday and the wind hadn't drop much but the ferry left that morning. The fishermen reported that the wind would drop 12:00 noon on Thursday. Sadly two couples staying just the week would probably not return to the island again.

Although the wind was blowing, it was extremely hot and our air con remote was playing up, sometimes not switching on/off until half a dozen clicks.

The town was a working town and so versitile just like Paleochora, I could have bought a new aircon unit



So Thursday came and it was still windy but it was down to the beach, well the fisherman shouldn't be wrong should they???





and by 12:00 almost by magic, the wind eased, the Camp Granada song came to mind and lunch became pleasurable without having to hold down the tablecloths



So the town's families came down later in the afternoon, starved of their pleasure for a week. Bat and balls came out which seem to be a national pass time in Greece



just for the women on here



There were three chinese massuers on the beach carrying a notice but none uttered a word, also the guy from the white chairs restaurant came around selling donuts but even he did utter a word. Maybe Limnos have the answer by a no approach policy, I don't know this just an observation

So now I was doing the Delboy probe "Is this Island windy", I have spoken to several people that have been coming to Limnos for many years, one couple 17 years, there is a breeze that blows, most say it's just a welcome pleasant breeze but none had experienced the wind as bad a this last week. So it sounds like Cape Verde with a breeze. So if you are considering it you may need to do your own investigations before booking. Also I picked up that Northern Samos has this wind as well.

So now the weather will allow us to eat around the harbour

more to come

So for the evening it was down to the harbour, where a lot of the resto's specialise in fish but was told they do other things. One resto has BQ sign and does bar-be-que only. Mrs Db let me have my treat



A very popular resto that night was Glasous overlooking both harbour and marina owned by and Australian who has lived there many years



however, tonight we were eating here and all the tables eventually filled up, no plates are used, just sheets of brown paper



Mrs Db ordered a healthy salad to help out. With Potatoes, pitta bread and chicken and of course the white wine



however, the potatoes where really chips

and piled high, done in a chip pan, with real grease and salt



Then the Bar-be-que chicken was thrown on top, and it's bon appetit



washed down with the wine, best chips I had had in years



Now the castle only had been lit on the Sunday and then went off again however the road had been repaired a local told me it was money saving but their best attraction not lit didn't make sense.

But tonight it was back on



It added a magical atmosphere to the place

Well all good things come to an end and Mrs Db said it was very bad for me and luckly she ordered a salad to assist it down





if one couldn't manage the meal the local cats would help you out



tomorrow hook or by crook, I was going to climb that castle for some pics, I was told to be down by sunset as path became tricky, also another couple told me thay found some stairs but the pathway was unclear and seemed to disappear into nothing. What happened was I got the shock of my life but had my camera with me.

But for us, it was back to the apartment going back through the well lit town





to come what happened on those castle steps

A well earned rep for all your hard work DB. Looks lovely.

That resto reminds me of 'The Butcher's' in Stoupa . . .

Best spit roast pork ever . . . you told him how many it was to serve and he would go off and chop, chop, chop in the background and come back with a big paper sheet with a pile of the most succulent, juicy meat and then throw a tray of chips on top . . . it was fab! Help yourself and it was the survival of the fittest!

yes they did sausages, chicken, chicken kebabs and pork belly as the bar-be-que, no steak though

A Fab review and pictures Delboy......it looks a stunning place. I so would love another a Greek holiday...absolutely yonks since I spent time in Athens and Cofu but I just wouldn't know where to choose, so many beautiful Islands!! This one looks like what I'm after.

Rep for you.

Gosh! in my enthusiasm for this thread . . . I cant remember if I've repped you or not . . . if I haven't apologies . . . I got carried away

If I did . . . this won't work again, but well done!

The next day we went on to the beach



nice day and little wind, no good at Yosef's sea pictures



Lunch time it was spagetti



about 4:00pm I left Mrs Db on the beach to find my way to the castle, put on my trainers and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and then off to town.

Amongst the labyrinth of buildings there was a sign to the castle



I was looking for some steps that the other couple had mentioned, as no other sign was around, my eyes looked to the right and ah there they were with a pathway leading up to the rocks



The pathway did look a bit odd and not used much as I reached a shrub growing out of some rocks. Suddenly a big commotion as a large animal scattered and ran 6 feet from me. Hell it was a full grow deer. It jogged up the hill, as I grabbed my camera, oh how I wish I'd bought that TZ30 before coming away. It stop at the top of the hill and looked back on me and snap...



I clipped the picture for a better view of it



As it disappeared I went after it in a stalking fashion. However there was a steep wooded glade below and it had gone. I tried to find a way over the mountain but it was clearly the wrong place, but well happy I had gone there what a coup photographing my first deer, so it was back down the path



Then headed further up the road and eventually found the path



Quite a demanding walk it the heat, I stopped and had a drink a few times



I went through a hole in the castle wall and took a picture to make sure I went back through the same one on my return.



getting near the flag flying over town



A bit of a tricky path here for some



All there was for protection was that metal bar, to stop people falling 100's of feet down



So took my hat off it was breezy, texted Mrs Db, "I'm at the top" and then tested the strength of that bar (I was the only crazy person up here but loving it)

Here are the views









the narrow second beach in this one



beyond the harbour I could seen land, not sure whether it was another island or Turkey



didn't want to fall down there



Mrs Db would be sitting on the beach somewhere in this picture



at this point, I decided to have a walk around, it was a big fortification but how could anybody live up here it the heat



Then I came across these warrens of holes there appeared to be a labyrinth of caves, which I was not prepared to go down on my own. Loved to have investigated them, perhaps another time



on the other side just a narrow path and the drop of all drops





more of those caves, the soldiers must have lived in them



another drop with no protection, glad I didn't do this last week



around the other side, some of the wall standing. The castle was originally built on remains thousands of years ago. The Byzantine people modified it in 2 years in 1186, then the Venetians in the 13th century improved it further after they captured it. During the Otterman rule the Turks lived in it. The Russian fleet damaged it trying to drive the Turks out of Myrina







so it was working my way back toward the flag again







another pic of Mrs Db's beach from the highest point



I had been up here for an hour and not seen a soul and had seen many unexplained things



but had enjoyed every minute of it



water was running out and it was time to call it a day



and it was a slow walk down and a beer at the bottom



to come, the last few days and the summing up

AB FAB!

Fab shots DB . . . it's the combination of the fantastic seascapes, with the backdrop of the mountains that make the pics so stunning! Well done!

Well worth the climb to get that view and those shots mate.


How many days did you go for? Just that I've counted 24 meals so far


That chicken & chips on brown paper looked the biz

They were, but Mrs Db thought they were unhealthy for me, women have no taste we got 14 days out there